Protected
by IstariannaCrudgo
Summary: As the threat of the Replicators looms, an entry in the database leads to the discovery of a "Shield World" said to be brimming with advanced Ancient tech. As Sheppard and his team chase any advantage in the war, they encounter formal diplomats, a militant society, and an insight on Ancient AI. Part 1 of the Protegat series.
1. Discovery

_AN: This is a precursor to a much greater adventure, a flex of my world building muscles, and vaguely AU, but a story I deeply wanted to write to push Sheppard and his team as far as I can, so if it feels I have given too great detail, please be aware that this fic is something of a necessary prologue._

Wandering through the halls of Atlantis, Sheppard sighed. With the amount of time AR-1 had been spending off-world recently, as they scoured the galaxy for any sign of the missing Athosians, Sheppard and his team had been running themselves into the ground, and none more so than Teyla. It hadn't taken long for Doctor Keller to figure out what was going on, and she had promptly gone to Colonel Carter, who ordered the team to stand down in the name of having a day off to rest.

John couldn't wrap his head around it, and had argued the point long and hard with Carter. After all, back in the first year, when the entire expedition had been at risk as the Wraith hives bore down on Atlantis, they had been working non-stop, to the point of needing stimulants to keep them going.

"There were less personnel, now we have the man power to balance work with rest," Colonel Carter had said in a tone that brooked no arguments, and yet, Sheppard couldn't help but wonder if Sam thought the Athosians weren't important. He hated thinking it, but while he'd heard tales of the great Samantha Carter from the SGC veterans, she had only been their commander for a short amount of time.

Unable to sway her, Sheppard had settled into sorting through the mountain of paper work that had been building up. Though he had tried to be productive, he found little reason to justify the seemingly inane work. Feeling like he was shirking his responsibilities to the Athosians, he gave up and tracked Teyla down, figuring she could use some company.

He tried his best to keep her engaged, to occupy her mind with something other than the all-consuming worry he saw in her eyes. While she made it clear she appreciated the effort, she had also been unusually snarky, and insistent she wished only to meditate.

John left her in peace, and sought out Ronon, who, as usual, was in the gym. Poking his head through the door, Sheppard stuck around just long enough to see one of the marines take a beating as Ronon vented on anything and everything in the gym, and decided to give him a wide berth, which really only left-

"Rodney!" the Colonel yelled, causing McKay to squeak and topple sideways off his chair.

"What the hell was that for?" Rodney whined as he picked himself up off the floor and righted his chair.

"Just checking you were ready for an emergency," Sheppard said innocently, walking through the door to the physicist's lab.

"Oh, great, yeah, thanks." McKay sat back on his chair, going back to staring at his laptop screen. "I love drills. Especially when I have no forewarning, and even more so when they are _complete and utter bull-"_

"Real emergencies give no forewarning," John chastised him, "that's why they're emergencies."

"What do you want?" Rodney snapped, "I actually have work outside of missions, work that has seriously backed up over the last few weeks, so while _you_ might get to enjoy having a day off, _some _of us are actually busy."

"Get off it; if you had no work to catch up on, you'd invent some. You're a regular workaholic McKay."

"You know what? You're right. If I had no work to do, I'd finally be able to start some of the experiments and other projects a scientist of such a calibre as I am is duty-bound to."

"Heh, you said doody."

"Grow up," McKay said, rolling his eyes as he lifted his head to glare condescendingly at John. "'Duty' only sounds like 'doody' when you Americans pronounce it. If you didn't all slur your words so much-"

"Canada sucks."

Rodney's glare went dead. "If all you're going to do is annoy me then-"

"What are you working on? Anything need activating?"

"Are you-" the physicist paused, suspicion written on his face. "Are you _volunteering_ to play Ancient light-switch?"

"Sheesh, Rodney, you're not usually this slow on the uptake," Sheppard said. "Yes, I'm offering to help with the ATA tech."

"Uhhh..." Rodney deliberated. "I'm not really working on any of that at the moment. I'm actually trying to hunt down a hidden weapons platform built in the later years of the Ancients' war with the Wraith... It has to be here, in the Database, somewhere, but the Ancients seem to have had no concept of a directory, or even something that resembles a user interface." He gave a gusty sigh.

"A weapons platform?"

"And there you go, eyes lit up like Christmas."

Sheppard bristled. "Incase you didn't notice, our enemies are starting to pile up there. We need all the firepower we can get right now."

"No, I've had my head stuck in the sand for the last three years, of course I'm aware! That's why I'm trying to find it," McKay snapped. They stared each other down before their glares softened, becoming apologetic.

"Look, there's a few devices on the desk over there," McKay threw a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the cluttered desk behind him. "They've been cleared, but no-one can turn them on, why don't you see-?"

"On it." John wandered over to the desk in question, dragging a stool along with him. Sitting down and picking up the first device that caught his eye, he started running through a few variations of the 'on' mental command. Some of these devices they had found were eccentric, and would only activate if you asked nicely, while others needed to be bullied into submission. It gave him something to do, an illusion of productivity.

John supposed he should have made an effort to learn to at least read Ancient by now, so he could help with the Database searches, but he never seemed to have the time. He knew enough to get by, of course, but not enough to navigate the Database. Chances were, Rodney could spend years searching through the damn thing and not-

"I think I've got it." The disbelief in Rodney's voice was palpable, or maybe that was just the incredulity John felt.

"A shielded planet- no, wait, I think it's called Shield, in the outer reaches of Pegasus, home to an advanced weapons cache, or installation, one of the last hold-outs against the Wraith. It says here that they were unsure if the enemy ever found it, even though they lost communication shortly after they decided to evacuate Pegasus."

"Got a 'gate address?" Sheppard asked, feeling a vague hope as he stood and came to look at Rodney's screen.

"No," McKay said, crushing that hope.

Sheppard cursed.

"Actually, it seems this... Shield world never had a stargate. It was relatively close to Atlantis at the time, before we moved the city, so they figured keeping it out of the gate system would make it unlikely the Wraith would ever find it. They were so confident they could keep it hidden they allowed a large human population in the city they built. The weapons platform...s circled the city, and were able to fire on orbital targets. Apparently the cannons they created had firepower to rival that of Project Arcturus'." Rodney turned wide eyes to John. "We have got to go to this planet."

* * *

Colonel Carter looked up from her tablet as Sheppard entered her office, McKay right behind him.

"Colonel, if you're here to start up again about the Athosians-"

Sheppard raised a hand, stalling her. "Actually, Rodney found something you need to see."

Carter's eyebrows rose as she accepted Rodney's laptop. She barely had a second to look at the screen before McKay launched into an explanation.

"I found a reference to this Shield world a few days ago, while I was doing some reading before bed, but I didn't have the time to chase it up then. Obviously I knew how important this could be so when we were told yesterday to stand down I immediately got started trying to track the relevant data. Now, I know there's no 'gate address, but the _Daedalus_ is due to arrive at the end of the week; it's out of the way compared to where we are now but the potential information we could find on this weapons platform makes it more than worth the trip. Imagine if we could get that kind of orbital defence for Atlantis! I mean, yes, the drones are powerful but they are limited to whatever stores of them we have on hand. The reference to Arcturus makes me think that it would be energy-based, possibly on level with the Ancient Satellite we used during the siege. Depending on the energy source and size of the platforms, we could bring them here. Even one cannon of that magnitude would be of massive benefit should the Wraith or Asurans track us down. There's no real question about it- Sam, we _have_ to go there."

Carter was quiet as her eyes flicked across the screen, reading the database's entry for herself.

"So, we have a go?" Rodney asked impatiently.

"Hold up," Carter said, looking up at the two men; Rodney hovering next to her desk, Sheppard standing in the doorway, ready to bolt the moment she said 'go'. "Wasn't Project Arcturus the one that led Rodney to blow up a solar system?"

"Didn't you blow up a sun once?" McKay asked defensively.

"That was on purpose, and is beside the point, Rodney," Carter retorted.

"McKay has learned from his mistake," Sheppard answered, "and if this Shield world turns out anything like Arcturus, I'll drag him out of there myself."

Colonel Carter rested her head on her fingertips, clearly in thought. "I'll have to talk to Colonel Caldwell about this before I can say one hundred percent, but I agree with you both." She stood, handing McKay's laptop back. "Let's make the call."

They headed out across the gangway, into the control room, where Rodney commandeered the communications station.

"You know he's gonna want his guys to take this one the moment you tell him about it," Sheppard said in an undertone to Carter as McKay set up the subspace connection.

"That's too bad, McKay found this one, it's his," Carter replied with a small smile. "The concept of 'finders, keepers' is basically law within the scientific community."

"Got it," McKay said as the Earth screen lit up, displaying Colonel Caldwell on the bridge of the _Daedalus_.

"Colonel Carter, Colonel Sheppard, Doctor McKay," the ship commander said, acknowledging their hail. "What can I do for you?"

"Colonel Caldwell, good to see you." Carter smiled. "Doctor McKay has found the coordinates to a gateless planet the Ancients were using to develop weapons technology without harassment from the Wraith. The entry about it in the Ancient Database suggests this could be a Latchkey discovery on par with that of Project Arcturus, but AR-1 needs a lift to get there."

Caldwell hesitated, "It would probably be easier for us to stop off on the way. I'm sure my people can handle a basic exploration, and if they find anything beyond their abilities to deal with-"

"That won't be a problem," Carter said happily. "The coordinates are close to Atlantis' previous planet, so you might as well stop here and offload our supplies. Sheppard's team can accompany you to the planet, that way if you need Rodney, he'll already be on hand. We don't want to make too many unnecessary jumps out here in Pegasus, or it'll be a long limp back to Earth's shipyards."

Nodding, Caldwell conceded. "Alright," he said unhappily, "we'll see you at 0800 in three days' time. Caldwell out." The connection severed, and the screen returned to the idle display of Atlantis.

"It's scary how easily you manage him," Rodney commented.

Sam shrugged. "He's not a bad guy, he's just more used to the strict regimen of military life. The relaxed protocol on Atlantis confuses him. We've never had a problem with him back at the SGC."

"So I suppose it's the Colonel's fault, then," McKay said while Sheppard feigned hurt.

Carter considered this a for moment, as they headed back to her office. "No," she finally said, "I don't think this base could work any other way. The civilian population wouldn't be able to mesh properly with the military personnel if they were snapping salutes every time Colonel Sheppard or I walked past." She sat down at her desk. "Alright, I don't want your team to be alone there, especially if the human population the Database talks about is still there."

"Lorne's team is rostered on standby for the week, they'd be available to come along," Sheppard suggested.

Sam nodded. "Rodney, do you think you'll need any backup from your scientists?"

"I guess I'll bring Zelenka along, he could use a bit more field experience."

"Then I suggest you start deciding what to bring. Caldwell won't appreciate having to wait around, so it's best if you're packed and ready before he gets here."

Nodding to himself, then clicking his fingers, McKay darted off.

"I'll go let Major Lorne know," Sheppard said, giving Carter a brief nod before departing himself. This wouldn't bring the Athosians back, but it might give them the tools to prevent anyone else from disappearing.


	2. Latchkey

He may not have been gracious in defeat, but Caldwell was clearly committed to helping Sheppard's team. He had suggested they bring a jumper along, which Lorne piloted into the starboard hangar bay while the _Daedalus_ offloaded its supplies. Both Reconnaissance teams had packed uniform changes as well as their standard mission tack, as the trip itself was estimated at 37 hours, and, providing the locals proved hospitable, they planned to remain on the planet for a total of five days. Depending on their findings, they would then swap out for a full science team.

The hours spent in transit aboard the ship became even more torturous than the days waiting to leave. Sheppard knew they were searching for something that could potentially save a lot of lives throughout the galaxy, but he could not forget about those they had lost. And neither could Teyla.

The team would be hanging out in the mess, or crowded together in one of their assigned quarters, sharing a laugh, and she would always be the first to stop, the first to look away whenever things got serious, the last to join in on snark-offs. It made John realise that, while she had lived in Atlantis for the last three years, she had never been cut off from her people, and with no way to know whether they were still alive... It was heavy stuff the Athosian was dealing with.

Finally, they arrived at their destination.

The planet was amazing.

While it was made up mostly of blue ocean, there were a few scattered continents casting green and brown splotches over the multi-hued seas, and shards of white clustered at each pole. A ring of stone rubble encircled the planet along the equator, half a destroyed moon still orbiting in the debris, and, most impressively, nebulous gasses writhed around the entire thing; vivid golds, aquas, and purples, all streaking in branches out from the planet.

"That is quite a sight," Caldwell commented.

"I wonder what happened to the moon?" Sheppard murmured.

"Possibly an impact from a comet or asteroid..." McKay hypothesised, before snapping his fingers. "Scans, locate the Ancient facility."

As he set to it, booting the _Daedalus_ personnel out of their stations, Sheppard and the rest of his team gazed out the viewport, entranced by the beauty of the nebula.

"Huh, that's a hinderance," McKay said to no-one in particular.

"What is?" Caldwell asked.

"The scanners don't think there's a planet there."

"The nebula must be blocking them," Radeck muttered, moving to help Rodney.

"Hmmm... it would make it a good choice of planet for a hidden weapons platform, that's for sure."

"It may be possible then that the Wraith never found it."

"Which means there's a good chance it's still operational."

"Not only that but-"

"-It's unlikely the Wraith would have any effective countermeasures."

"In which case-"

"-This could really be a Latchkey discovery, capable of turning the tide of the war."

Sheppard cut in over the two scientists, "Why don't we prep the jumper and go find out rather than just sit here and theorise."

"Good call, yes," Rodney said, dragging Zelenka off the bridge.

Rolling his eyes, John followed the scientists, ignoring the somewhat incredulous glance of Colonel Caldwell, as Teyla and Ronon fell in behind him.

While they made their way to the starboard hangar, Sheppard hailed Lorne over the radio, telling him to bring his team and meet them at the jumper. When they arrived, Lorne was waiting for them, and Sheppard quickly took the pilot's seat, McKay refusing to defer to the Major and taking co-pilot while Doctor Zelenka fiddled nervously with equipment in the rear compartment. Lorne ended up sitting behind McKay, while Teyla took the seat behind John, Ronon standing just beside her. The rest of Lorne's team sat on the benches in the back, squished amongst the scientific doodads occupying the bulk of the Puddlejumper's limited space.

They waited for the hangar technicians to scurry out of the bay before it was depressurised. Once they got the all-clear and the massive doors started to grind open, John powered up the jumper's cloak and nosed out of the _Daedalus'_ protective grasp. As they broke free, headed for the Shield world's atmosphere, Caldwell called in to notify them the ship's shields had been raised.

"It's gonna feel weird having Big Brother Caldwell looking over our shoulder on this one," Rodney remarked.

"Well until we get our license, we'll need big brother's taxi service," John drawled.

"You really think they'd let us have our own ship stationed in Pegasus?" Lorne asked, disbelief heavy in his tone.

"One can hope," McKay said, sounding distracted as he worked over the scanners. Shaking his head, the scientist pulled a face. "The Ancient scanners aren't picking up anything the Asgard's couldn't."

John glanced to his right. "I thought we were expecting that?"

Scowling, McKay glared out the windscreen at the offending nebula. "Expecting? Yes, but I was hoping something similar to Atlantis' auto pilot would kick in and take us straight where we want to go."

"That _would_ have been nice," Sheppard agreed.

Banking, he adjusted their heading to steer clear of the planet's ring, then threw a wry smile back at Teyla and Ronon. "Who wants to pick which continent we scan first?"

"No, no, no, no, no, we need to look at the statistical probabilities-"

"How about that big green one?" Ronon said, pointing to the largest landmass.

"Big green one it is," Sheppard said, steering the jumper easily as they passed through the first wisps of the nebula.

"It is even more beautiful up close," Teyla said, awed. "I had never imagined such a sight could exist."

Caldwell's voice came in over the radio. _"Colonel Sheppard, this is the _Daedalus_, how are things going?"_

"_Daedalus,_ this is Jumper One, we are passing through the outer reaches of the nebula with no apparent adverse effects," Sheppard responded.

_"We're losing tracking on you, if you get into trouble, you'll have to get yourselves out; there's no way to lock a transport beam on you."_

"Well, we expected that, too," McKay muttered.

"Noted, Colonel. Radio check in five minutes," Sheppard said, then flicked the comm unit to standby.

They dove through the nebula, passing wispy clouds of intense colour that seemed only to strengthen the further they went, but never so much that they lost sight of the planet. When they checked in with Caldwell again, they were roughly half-way through. It was only once they entered the upper atmosphere that the scanners stuttered to life, and they raised Caldwell on the radio, notifying him of the development.

"_Daedalus, _Jumper One has reached the planet's atmosphere, and our scanners now agree that there is, in fact, a planet."

_"That's excellent news, Jumper One. Keep us inf-"_

_"Unidentified vessel, you are using restricted channels. Surrender yourselves to the Protegat Justicer at once or you will be shot down."_

Rodney's eyes went wide as the unknown voice barked out their radios.

"Uhh," Sheppard hastily replied, "sure thing. If you could just do us a small favour and give us directions?"

But the jumper was two steps ahead of them. It plotted a course to a large, sprawling city with unmistakably Lantean architecture on the south-western coast of the continent Ronon had chosen. Like Atlantis, its tallest buildings were toward the middle of the city, with a central spire that soared hundreds of stories in the air. Unlike Atlantis, it was land-bound, with farmland surrounding it and forested mountains setting a majestic backdrop towards the north. A thick wall circumferenced the city, tall and wide enough to be considered a building in its own right. Ten structures looking rather a lot like cannons rose from this wall, evenly spaced. Sharing a glance with McKay, Sheppard steered the jumper onto the proposed course, as the radio crackled to life again.

_"Ancestral vessel confirmed, welcome back, Creators."_

"Oh, crap, now they think we're Ancients. This has never gone well in the past," Rodney panicked.

"Once we're not in danger of being shot down by these guys, we'll explain everything and straighten the whole thing out," Sheppard said, trying to sound confident.

"Maybe we should wait a bit and take the chance to figure out how they'll react first. If they decide to incarcerate us or cut us off from the platform-"

"I believe if we are honest and upfront with them, they will have reason to trust us," Teyla cut over Rodney with her calming tones.

"But if-"

John shook his head. "The decision's been made, Rodney."

They closed the final distance to the city in silence, though McKay continued to huff in irritation. As they drew near, the jumper HUD directed them to a cluster of low-set, wide buildings dwarfed by the near-by central spire and most the other towers surrounding it, but kept at distance by well-manicured grounds. Passing by, they saw white-and-black clad figures travelling in neat processions. A medium-length runway stretched out from one side, and the wall it seemed to be attached to began retracting. It quickly became obvious that this was no wall, but large hangar doors, which the jumper prompted them to land in.

Feeling just a little bit trepidatious, not that he'd ever admit it to Rodney, John followed Jumper One's suggestion.

When they arrived they found an armed delegation waiting for them; eight soldiers in predominantly white uniforms chased in silver, and shiny black boots with matte black half-chaps and belts to match. Flanking the jumper ramp, they stood at attention, giving more of an 'honour guard' feel than a 'you're our prisoner' impression. They carried ornate rifles similar to the old flintlock types from Earth's history, though, as the Lanteans started to get a look around the hangar they had landed in, they seemed to be at an Earth Space Race level of technological advancement, but with Ancient tech seamlessly integrated with their own.

A man in a formal, clean-cut, white uniform with black accents, not dissimilar to those that the crew of the _Aurora_ had worn, strode forward. He looked to be somewhere between 30 and 40, with fawn skin, dark, close cropped hair, and dark eyes. He carried no weapons, but had the self-assured air of a veteran diplomat. Strapped on his left forearm was an electronic device reminiscent of a Life Signs Detector, but with a longer screen. Making an unfamiliar hand gesture across his chest, he unerringly singled the Colonel out in his greeting, speaking in clipped tones.

"Welcome to Protegat, Ancestors. We have long awaited your return. I am Consulate Atheon Pacem." Here, he paused, taking in their attire with evident confusion. "If you'll forgive me for my transgression, why has your raiment changed so much during the time of your absence?"

McKay gave John a pointed look, which he ignored. "I'm glad you brought that up, because it gives me the chance to clear up an unfortunate misconception." John paused, noting the Consulate's expression. Pacem looked politely interested, so he hoped they weren't in too much trouble.

"See, the thing is, while we use bits of Ancient tech we've found, we're not actually Ancients. We're sorry if the jumper misled you."

The faces of the guards hardened, but the Consulate seemed intrigued. "You are not Ancestor, but you have the ability to fly their ships?"

"Some of us do," Sheppard clarified while eyeing off the guards.

Glancing at the guards himself, Consulate Pacem chuckled ruefully. "You must forgive their mistrust, Soldier...?"

"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," John quickly supplied.

"I have never heard of that rank before," Pacem commented. "Well, Lieutenant Colonel," he hesitated over the rank, as though the pronunciation was difficult. "Our histories say that none but those who inhabit the great city of Atlantis may find Protegat, and so it is in our nature to be suspicious of unknown cultures."

"Have you ever encountered a culture other than your own?" Teyla asked curiously.

"Once, Travellers from the stars came, some centuries ago," Consulate Pacem said, "but they left upon discovering Protegat is inhabited."

"As in, Travellers, travellers?" Rodney asked.

"Is there somewhere out of the way we can talk about this?" Sheppard said, noting the curious engineers hovering just within earshot.

"Of course, I'm afraid I was distracted. If you will please leave your weapons with your ship, I am to escort you to the Justicer's council room."

Lorne pulled a face, and Sheppard wasn't too happy about the request either. Seeming to sense their recalcitrance, the Consulate added, "You may keep your secondary firearms on you."

Nodding his appreciation, the Colonel turned to Lorne. "Major, I want you and your team to stay with the jumper, Radeck, you too. If it's all right with you," he said, directing his words back to Pacem, "we need to radio our ship and let them know we're okay."

"This is the unidentified vessel in quadrant six?" Atheon asked.

"If quadrant six is just out of range of the nebula, then yes," Rodney answered.

Pacem nodded thoughtfully. "This is acceptable."

"Use a secure channel, so we don't hog their radio waves again," John said casually, but gave Lorne a look to let him know he wanted their conversations kept private. They may be receiving diplomatic treatment from Pacem, but they'd been burned too many times in the past to go playing with fire without an extinguisher nearby.

Pacem watched Sheppard, Teyla, and McKay unclip their P-90s from their vests, then exit the jumper to stand once again before him. "If you'll follow me." He gestured graciously, as the honour guard formed around John's team, and they allowed themselves to be escorted deeper into the facility.

As they left the hangar and headed towards the more official areas, the architecture became less utilitarian and more austere, with a strange, spartan grace. The colour scheme was reminiscent of that of Atlantis, and the uniforms of the various personnel had definite Lantean influences. If the anthropologists ever got to come here, they'd have a field day.

The Consulate led them through a final door, and they found themselves in a room not unlike Atlantis' Gate Room, minus the Stargate and control room, but the high ceiling, balconies, and stained glass were unmistakable. In place of the consoles on the upper level, there were tiered seats overlooking the lower level, and, where the Stargate sat in Atlantis, taking pride of place, was a large, octagonal table. It was around this table that five diplomats, dressed in uniforms similar to Atheon's, stood at a form of attention. Two of them had some form of side arms strapped to their thighs, and all looked older than 40.

As Sheppard took in the room, mentally comparing it to Atlantis, Pacem strode quietly to the waiting people, and spoke to them in low tones. The woman standing in the middle raised a hand, then turned her attention to AR-1. Her uniform matched the Consulate's, right down to the device strapped to her forearm, yet she wore her blonde hair in a less formal undercut, though her grey eyes seemed far more severe than his.

"Greetings, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, and welcome to Protegat. Please, be seated." She, too, seemed to have problems pronouncing the rank.

Nodding to Rodney, John did as he was asked, his team following his lead, taking the four seats closest to the door, while their honour guard seemed to melt into the woodwork- or stonework.

"Thank-you for your hospitality," Teyla said, clearly feeling the need to take point.

"I am Ambassador Alyss Janyar," the woman spoke again. "I have the honour of presenting Lord Oronx Farade, Democrata Sian Heyerda, Democrata Tarro Judine, and Justicer Dianna Xerath." Janyar gestured from left to right as she named those with her. Like Pacem, Janyar's words were clipped, deliberately enunciated.

"I am Teyla Emmagen of Athos, with me are Doctor Rodney McKay and Specialist Ronon Dex. Of course, you have already been told Colonel Sheppard's name."

"It is a genuine pleasure to meet off-worlders," Lord Farade said. "It has been generations since our world has had contact with the galaxy." Aside from Pacem, he was the shortest of the Protegans, and had the fairest skin. His face was dotted with freckles, yet marred with scars. He was one of the two whom bore weapons, and his orange hair was little more than a cropped fuzz. His brown eyes were sharp, seeming to take in everything at a glance.

"As such," Justicer Xerath continued in the strong tone that John now suspected was an accent these people spoke with, "we have many questions for you, concerning the state of affairs throughout the Ancestor's worlds." The Justicer bore fewer scars than Lord Farade, but they were still prominent against her dark brown skin, as were her bright blue eyes. When standing, she was tallest out of her colleagues. Her dark hair, streaked with grey, was pulled back into a strict french bun. This, combined with the weapon at her thigh, gave her a definitively military air.

Teyla wore her best diplomatic smile. "We would be happy to answer whatever questions you may pose, as far as our own knowledge will allow. In turn, I would hope that you may be able to help us."

The Protegans all wore similar expressions of interest mixed with the slightest hint of mistrust. Sheppard decided to take over. Politics may not be his forte, but he was still team leader.

"We didn't exactly just stumble across your planet; we came here seeking knowledge of our own." Not wanting to reveal too much about the Expedition just yet, Sheppard kept his statement vague.

Justicer Xerath narrowed her eyes. "We may indeed be prepared to help in an equal exchange of information, dependant on the nature of the knowledge you seek."

"What the Justicer means," Democrata Heyerda said, her voice placating, "is that our people were entrusted with the knowledge of the Ancestors many generations ago, and it is a mantle we bear with gravity. We would seek assurance your motives are for the good of the greater galaxy, not for selfish gain." She was about as tall as Lord Farade, but her diminutive size made her seem smaller. She wore crimson hair in a loose bun, and her bared forearms showed extensive burn scars silver-red against her bronze skin; there was something less disciplined than her kin in her light brown eyes.

Teyla caught Sheppard's eye, a subtle question in her expression. John inclined his head, acknowledging her request.

"Well, I wouldn't expect you to just take our word on it, but we have been the leading force in the fight against the Wraith for the last three years," the Colonel paused. "I assume you know what the Wraith are?"

Scowls crossed the face of each Protegan. "The parasite is the reason our kind were forced to take up the mantle prematurely," Democrata Judine said in a measured voice, even as his eyes showed his fury. "If it were not for the _Wraith,_" he spat the word as though it tasted foul in his mouth, "the Ancestors would remain to guide us." This Democrata's most noticeable feature was the lack of one- his right arm had, at some point, been amputated at the shoulder. His hair was glossy black, and hung past his knees in a smooth, long braid. His russet skin was the least aged of the Protegans, yet his green eyes carried the most weight to them.

"The Wraith have impacted the cultures of the galaxy in numerous ways," Teyla said. "My people have lived their lives in fear of them for generations. Our once great civilisation was destroyed by their ships, and our traditions are built around avoiding them. For many worlds throughout the galaxy, the Wraith were an unchallengeable fact of life, but no longer."

Holding the gaze of the Protegans, Teyla continued, "Colonel Sheppard's people came to this galaxy from far away, through the Stargate. They offered my people shelter when we had none, and have fought to free our galaxy from the Wraith's grip since first they set foot here, though they were under no obligation-"

"You are from the Final Sanctuary of the Ancestors!" Atheon exclaimed, earning reproving glances from his fellow Protegans. "You must be, the texts say that only those from the Final Sanctuary may travel to the Ancestral City, there to discover Protegat." The Consulate wore an excited expression, as his head bounced between looking at the Protegat Justicer and Colonel Sheppard.

"Is this true?" the Justicer asked with cautious censure.

John bit his lip, hesitating a second before answering. "I'll be honest; I have no idea what you mean by Final Sanctuary."

Pacem frowned. "You are not from Terra?"

"Oh, Earth," Rodney said. "Must be a lapse in translation- it's been over ten thousand years since Pegasus had contact from the Milky-way, though Doctor Jackson theorised that, because the galaxies shared a root culture and language, aspects of certain cultures evolved similarly, though it's still a mystery how two versions of English came to be almost identical despite thousands of lightyears distance between them, even though we saw similar results throughout Milky-way."

"Why don't you tell them all about our GDOs too, McKay," Sheppard said in an undertone as the assembled Protegans whispered amongst themselves.

"What? They had pretty much guessed-"

"We have no idea who these people are, Rodney," John hissed. "If they turn out to be another enemy you've just told them where we live!"

"They were buddies with the Ancients, how bad can they be?"

"That remains to be seen," Teyla said quietly, drawing their attention back to the pseudo-negotiations.

"If you are, in fact, from the Sanctuary, then the mystery of your heritage is solved." Ambassador Janyar cleared her throat. "But your ancestry matters little beyond your capability to use the Ancestor's technology."

"Indeed," Teyla agreed. "As I was saying, in the time since their arrival, Colonel Sheppard's people have been stalwart and dependable friends to the civilisations of this galaxy. I understand these words may mean little to you, but I have watched them from the beginning as they have sought to bring peace to our stars. They are honourable and worthy allies to those who would stand up to the Wraith."

"Fair words, Teyla of Athos." Lord Farade stroked his chin. "I am to take it, then, that as expected, the Wraith remain a scourge across the galaxy?"

"Yes," Sheppard confirmed, "but they're not the only threat out there."

This statement was met by confused silence. Sheppard was sure at least a minute passed before the Justicer spoke, breaking the atmosphere of quiet fear. "What other beings could possibly rival the Wraith as a danger to the Ancestor's children?"

"They call themselves Asurans, though we know them as Replicators," John answered. "And they don't rival the Wraith so much as completely overtake them in terms of the danger they pose to the galaxy."

"How?" Xerath pressed.

"The Wraith depend on the survival of humans in order to ensure their future food supply," Teyla explained, "the Replicators, however, have no regard for human life, and see our extinction as a means to eliminate the Wraith."

Another silence followed this revelation, laden with consideration rather than confusion.

"It is clear there is far more to learn of the galaxy than we had originally anticipated." Lord Farade looked sidelong at his peers. "I feel we may have much to learn from you, Colonel Sheppard," his voice twisted oddly over the rank, giving it a strange accent, "what knowledge do you seek?"

The Colonel considered his answer a moment, carefully choosing his words. "We need defensive technologies. Our enemies; both the Wraith and Replicators, have found our base of operations in the past. We've lost a lot of good people..." John fell silent as grief both old and new washed over him. Pulling himself together, he managed a wan smile. "We've got a few tricks up our sleeves, but the Replicators, in particular, are fast learners."

"And you came to Protegat, hoping to find weapons?" Justicer Xerath asked, suspicion in her eyes once again.

"We never mentioned weapons," McKay said before Sheppard could reply, "but we know you have them."

The look Teyla gave Rodney should have had him keeling over, dead before he hit the ground. Sheppard, for his part, swallowed the cutting reprimand he was longing to fling at the physicist.

"And you have not mentioned Atlantis, yet we know you must come from the great city." Lord Farade replied coolly.

"Lord Farade, if I may?" Atheon asked. When Farade nodded, the Consulate's eyes lit up. "We don't mean to be rude, but you came seeking knowledge, and posses the location of Protegat. You arrived knowing the information you sought was here, and the Ancestor's texts say only the inhabitants of Atlantis have access to that information. They also say it is our duty to pass on their knowledge when the children of Terra arrive. That is, unless some miracle occurred and the Ancestors won the war, but if the parasite still plagues the galaxy, then it is clear no such victory took place."

"Excellent," Rodney said, clapping his hands together then rubbing them in that way he had, "then let's head over to the nearest platform."

Xerath's brows contracted in anger. "We are not some blind cult following of the Ancestors. We are loyal to their teachings, but we are an independent people. You may be the children of Terra, but that does not make us subservient to you."

"I apologise for my teammate's rash words," Teyla said earnestly.

"McKay apologises too," Sheppard said through gritted teeth, glaring at Rodney until he mumbled out a half-formed apology.

"We would never assume obedience from another culture," Teyla assured the Protegans, "Doctor McKay spoke out of turn, as he feels the burden of trying to protect an entire galaxy. We all do."

"I am sure he meant no offence, Justicer," Atheon said soothingly. "He is a scientist, and shows the enthusiasm of one eager to learn."

The Justicer was silent for a long time, as she considered her options. "Very well," she spoke at last, "the Council will deliberate. In the intervening time, Consulate Pacem shall give you a tour of the Protectorate Facility."

"Thank-you for your time, and for your consideration," Teyla said.

They stood as Atheon rose from his seat, leading them back out the door, their honour guard falling in behind them.

"So, Terra children living in Atlantis?" Gone was the carefully formal veteran diplomat. Atheon seemed to bounce along, excitement writ all over his face.

Sheppard smiled despite himself. "Yep."

As they were shown around the facility, through communications rooms, barracks, mess halls, and vehicle depots, the Consulate plied them with questions, mostly related to their knowledge of the Ancients. He seemed endlessly amused that John and Rodney referred to them as anything other than 'Ancestors', and fascinated by the almost religious view Teyla and Ronon held of them.

When they arrived back in the hangar, they checked in with Lorne at the Puddlejumper, then Atheon showed them the aircraft used by the Protegans' military. John dragged Lorne along too and together they explored the inns and outs of the two aircraft types.

The first was called an 'Avem' and was what they called a Defender Class vehicle. Avems were a marriage of fighter jets and gunship helicopters. With an open cabin crew compartment that mostly took standing passengers, the troop transport was versatile and could be fitted with various manned turrets for both military and rescue operations. Its body was painted white with black accents, and shaped like a 'chopper, but its wings were mounted high on its roof. Stout and sturdy, they ended with large rotors and were supplemented with thruster jets. There were four seats in the crew compartment; two forward facing at the back, and two rear-facing at the front. In between the front two seats was a door that led to the single two-man cockpit, and in between the rear seats was a weapons rack for fireteams to stow extra weaponry. On its tail was a steering rotor, and a rotating minigun was mounted on the nose. The avem was half again the length of a Puddlejumper, and equal the width, not including its wings.

As John climbed the ladder rungs on the external fuselage, peering into the currently open cockpit, he let out a whistle of appreciation, admiring the controls. They looked like a fusion between the jumper's and a Blackhawk chopper.

Next they checked out the Interceptor Class fighter, the 'Gladius'. As the Consulate explained, there was only one of them currently at the Protectorate Facility, tucked away in a corner of the massive hangar, and they were usually stationed at Sky Fleet Command. The gladius were definitively fighter jets, with a sleek, matte black body with white accents, twice and a half the length of a jumper, twice the width. It had long, downward-curving wings that swept forward in the same way the F-302's did. Its weaponry was subtle, unlike the avems, with understated nose guns and three missile heads peeking out of each wing. It had two separate cockpits that were only accessed externally, the rear of the aircraft given over to massive rocket engines. Aerodynamic stabiliser struts completed its lethal appearance, and even parked, motionless, it screamed of speed.

All in all, it took hours to complete the tour of the massive, sprawling facility and its attached coliseum used for holding war games the public could spectate on. It became apparent that the Protegans were at a higher tech level than Sheppard had originally thought; their militaristic aesthetic belied the sophistication of their technology. McKay was too busy geeking out about this fusion of human and Ancient tech to complain about all the walking, for which Sheppard was grateful- he was still annoyed over the political blunders the scientist had made. He wasn't sure how much further his patience could stretch that day.

They had finished the tour and were hanging around outside the jumper, filling Major Lorne in on everything they had seen when they were called back before the Council.

Sitting in the same place as earlier, they waited as the Consulate had another quiet word with the Justicer, who seemed to reach a decision. Clearing her throat, she addressed the Lanteans. "We have considered your request, and the Consulate's evaluation, and we are prepared to offer you a compromise."

John stiffened, even as Teyla gave him a cautioning look.

Lord Farade nodded, resting his hands on the table. "We would like to give you the opportunity to prove yourselves trustworthy. We offer you one week, in which you will be given access to reading material on the Ancestor's weapons system. If, at the end of this week, we find one another agreeable, the Council will open full negotiations with your people."

Letting out a relieved breath, the Colonel smiled. "Thank-you, truly. Of course, we only packed for five days, but we can stretch it, if you want. We'll need to notify the _Daedalus_, our ship currently in orbit, and probably send a sub-space burst back to Atlantis, let them know Colonel Carter might be needed."

"Another Lieutenant Colonel?" Atheon asked.

"Ah, no, she's a full-bird Colonel," Sheppard quickly explained.

At Pacem's confused look, Teyla answered more fully. "Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard is the military leader of the Atlantis Expedition, but Colonel Carter is the leader of the entirety of the Expedition."

"Very well, you may organise your communiques," Justicer Xerath said, "Consulate Pacem shall see to it that all members of your team are given comfortable lodgings on site."

"Thank-you, again," Colonel Sheppard said, and they departed with Atheon, who led them back to the hangar, before disappearing, presumably to organise their room.

"Well, we've been invited to stay for one week," Sheppard said, answering Lorne's question before he could ask. "It sounds like they plan to hook us up with some rooms on-base, and let us study the theory of the weapons system."

"Wait a minute, on-base?" McKay asked.

Sheppard felt incredulous. Surely McKay would've figured it out by now? "They can call this a 'facility' all they want, but we're in the middle of a military base."

McKay looked skeptical. "And what makes you think that?"

"It's a military base," Ronon said.

"What, really?"

"The hangar full of gunship slash fighter hybrids is a bit of a give-away," Major Lorne replied with all his usual snark.

"The one thing I cannot get a read on is the nature of their ruling class," Teyla murmured.

"Yeah, that's confusing me, too," the Colonel admitted.

"It has aspects of both democratic and militant rule, and yet the presence of a Lord on the council implies an aristocratic aspect," Teyla continued to muse.

John nodded, recognising the dilemma. "We'll have to see if we can learn more about their government over the next few days, before we decide if we want to form an alliance."

"If the weapons are as powerful as we think they are, is it really gonna matter what we think of their government?" McKay asked.

Sheppard shot him a look. "It will determine what _sort_ of alliance we create. Have you thought beyond simply being able to defend Atlantis with these weapons platforms?"

"What? What more is there?"

Teyla seemed to be nursing the spark of hope, as she answered with a vague light in her eyes. "I agree with the Colonel."

Lorne nodded thoughtfully while Ronon dipped his head once.

"What are you all seeing that I'm not?" Rodney asked, a slight whine in his voice at being out of the loop.

"Think about it Rodney; with the Replicators bombarding planets and the Wraith at war, what is the one thing the Pegasus galaxy is overflowing with right now?" Sheppard asked.

"Burnt-out planets? Space debris?"

"Refugees," John supplied. "And what is the one planet that could be safe for all these humans on the run from the Wraith and the Asurans? The one planet they can never find?"

McKay's eyes went wide as he finally figured it out. "Of course, why didn't I think of that? Probably because I haven't eaten anything in a while- I should take care of that right now, I need to be at my best performance." Without any further ado, Rodney entered the jumper, pushing Zelenka out of the way and rummaging around messily until he found a chocolate bar.

"You might want to ration those if we're going to be here for two more days than planned," John cautioned the physicist.

McKay spoke around a mouthful of chocolate. "About that, why don't we just stick to the original five-day-plan? None of us have enough laundry to last seven days. Assuming their week model is the same as ours."

"I figured sticking to their schedule would make them happier. If they want the full week to observe us as trustworthy, then what does a few more days matter? Besides, it'll give you more time to read up on the weapons before we get to go see them."

"You are sickeningly optimistic about this one, Colonel," McKay said with a sad shake of his head.

"We have much to gain from an alliance with the Protegans," Teyla said.

"I have a good feeling about this one," Sheppard said. And it was true. Despite the trepidation he had felt earlier, John thought he could almost sense a win here.


	3. Exploration

The rooms they were appointed weren't exactly lavish, but neither were they uncomfortable. Each of the three rooms had its own bathroom attached, as well as balconies and skylights. Sheppard thought the open, airy architecture was out of place in a military complex, but evidently the Protegans liked to emulate the Ancients in their building style as well as their fashion.

AR-1 took the first room to themselves, while Lorne and his team shared the other two with Zelenka. The rooms had four single beds apiece, and were all next to the other, so John assumed it didn't matter much who went where, but the team liked being together.

Once they had settled, stowing their personal gear out of the way, having left McKay's equipment safely locked up in the jumper, Consulate Pacem returned to issue them with temporary ID cards that identified them as diplomatic guests, and granted them the appropriate level of clearance they needed to get around the base.

They played it safe for the rest of the day, keeping close to their rooms. As eager as both Rodney and Radeck were to begin studying the weapons, Sheppard worried that, if they appeared to take the Protegans' good will for granted, they would come off as arrogant or conceited. Especially after McKay's blind enthusiam struck the wrong note. And so they bided their time, taking in the impressive views of the city from one of their balconies, as they sat in the outdoor seating arranged there, analysing every possibility Protegat presented.

As the sun set in a kaleidoscope of colours across the city that was, undeniably, at least five times as large as Atlantis, and possessed a markedly similar grace, they heard the door chime, and John stood up, swiftly crossing the room to answer the door.

"Consulate Pacem," he said as the door slid open to reveal their host, "come in." Sheppard stood to the side, and Atheon gave a short bow before entering.

"Thank-you, Colonel Sheppard," Pacem said graciously. "I am sorry I have been absent today, but life will not put itself on hold for one's convenience."

"No, no, it's fine. We've just been admiring your city." John led the Consulate to the balcony where the rest of the Lanteans were seated. "It's incredible."

Atheon smiled. "That means much, coming from one whom inhabits the Ancestral city of Atlantis."

"It bears a remarkable resemblance to Atlantis," Teyla commented.

"The Ancestors built the base of our city, but much has been refurbished as our needs changed," the Consulate explained. "The majority of the city remains within the Ring, that is to say, the wall circling the city, on which the weapons installations are mounted, but as our population grew, the land needed for agriculture no longer existed within the city limits, so we expanded beyond the ring, but never more than is necessary."

"How many people can the city hold?" John asked.

"The city has a maximum capacity of six hundred thousand, but we number at less than half of that," Pacem answered.

"Wait, that's a good question," McKay said.

After a pause, Sheppard asked in confusion, "What is?"

"Think about it, with no external impacts like the Wraith on their population, Protegat ought to number in the millions at least. Why doesn't it?" Rodney elaborated.

"Millions?" Pacem looked bewildered.

"Billions, actually. Earth's population is just shy of seven billion," McKay said. "Spread out across multiple continents and divided into a ridiculous number of countries."

The Consulate seemed at a loss. "Well, your ancestors must have been... busy."

"So why are you guys still down in the hundred thousands?" McKay pressed.

"I can only guess, but I assume you have many large families, multiple siblings?" At the Earthling's affirmative nods, Pacem continued. "It is rare for our families to have more than one child. Population control was never implemented, but it was encouraged by the Ancestors, that we could remain within the Ring. That said, a few generations ago a super bacteria decimated the city, a result of antibiotic abuse, and our numbers have yet to recover. Because of this, the city has a high vacancy."

Teyla caught Sheppard's eye, to which he nodded, then shook his head. _Later._

"Of course, that makes sense," McKay said, oblivious to their exchange. "I mean, because of the Ancients, you had access to advanced medical knowledge and an understanding of the need to keep sustainability in mind. What, you'd have birth control, climate awareness, and all sorts of medicines for much longer than Earth has had them in common use. So much longer that you've already had the superbug problem!"

"Yes. We now rely on vaccinations to protect our population. We learned the hard way that prevention is better than cure."

"Wait, can you vaccinate against bacteria? But how? It evolves so much faster than any viral infection. I mean sure, we have vaccinations for certain types of bacteria but to be able to eliminate the need for antibiotics you'd need, what, thousands of vaccinations updated yearly? How do you keep on top of mutations? Where and when did you even learn to?" Rodney asked in his usual rapid-fire manner.

Pacem nodded, easily keeping up with the physicist. "That is something we learned from the Ancestors. Is such information not included in the Atlantis database?"

Rodney hesitated. "It... probably is... somewhere. Okay, back onto the city itself, the power requirements must be astronomical for a city this size, filled with Ancient tech. How is it powered? Not by ZedPM?"

The Consulate gave a look askance. "What is 'zed-pee-em'?"

"A device that draws vacuum energy from a self-contained region of sub-space time; Zero-Point-Module," Rodney responded automatically.

"Hmm. I have read of such devices before but never encountered one. No, we use solar, wind, tidal, geo-thermal, hydro-electric, and lightning to power the city."

"So, just about every source of renewable energy imaginable," Sheppard surmised.

"That Ancient gift of foresight," McKay said wistfully. "But still, to meet the requirements of the city, let alone the weapons..."

Pacem nodded. "Oh, yes, a quarter of the city is given over to power generation, as well as fifty-seven outlying generator stations. But look at me, allowing myself to be distracted once again!" Pacem suddenly exclaimed. "I understand you packed rations for your journey, and this is what you lunched on, but I implore you to avail yourselves of the facility's eateries. If you wish, I should like to join you for dinner; there is still much knowledge we may offer one another."

"Uh," Sheppard glanced at the others, who either nodded or shrugged. "Sure, let's go."

Atheon led them swiftly to the nearest mess hall, one he had shown them earlier. After Rodney made a scene demanding to know if there was any citrus in the food, which Pacem seemed to find amusing rather than offensive, the ten of them took up two tables on yet another balcony, and Teyla began querying the Consulate on the inner workings of the Protegan government. While confusing, it was certainly interesting dinner conversation.

It turned out there were no aristocratic roles. The rank of 'Lord' was, Atheon told them, purely military, and was the second-highest rank within the Defence Corps. The ruling council was made up of elected officials- two civilians from the Diplomatic Corps, two soldiers from the Defence Corps, and one servant from the Ambassadorial Corps, who was considered neither civilian nor military, and was trained as both in order to properly mediate between the two groups. These public servants had to complete a menagerie of study courses to become eligible to serve on the Council, and public elections were held yearly, though could be scheduled to occur within a month if a significant portion of the population were dissatisfied with the actions of any member of the council.

More intriguing to the Colonel, while the five council members held equal power, the Justicer was the ultimate authority when it came to military matters, and automatically became the singular ruler during emergencies, including severe natural disasters, in order to mobilise an immediate and coordinated response. The Justicer's sole task was the protection of the Protegan citizens at all costs.

"The Ancestors taught us that the pursuit of knowledge is the most important goal our people can aspire to, but that we must also always be prepared should the Wraith find us. So, any individual seeking to serve in any of the five corps must rise through the Academic Corps first," Pacem was explaining, "for instance, to join the Ambassadorial Corps, I had to reach the rank of Cognitio first, and so I hold Veritads in Ancestral history, Protegan history, and a Veritad in technologies development."

"You're an engineer?" Rodney asked around a mouthful of food.

Atheon nodded. "While the two histories are all the Veritads that are needed for the Diplomatic, Defence, and Ambassadorial Corps, most choose to take additional Veritads in other subjects relevant to their interests and careers, as it takes no additional time, provided you are willing to put in extra study hours, of course."

McKay waved a fork around in the air. "And so the Academic Corps is like university?"

"In some ways, I guess," Pacem agreed, "but in a far stricter environment. We have universities for people inclined to follow commercial careers, but the Corps are all geared towards public servitude, and so, one must be able to follow the chain of command, as these are all people involved with the defence of Protegat. All the Corps are rank-based, and specialties are determined by what Veritads a servant holds."

"So that would make you...?"

"Cognitio Consulate Atheon Pacem, Veritad Ancestral Histories, Veritad Protegan Histories, Veritad Technologies Development."

"That's a bit of a mouthful," Rodney commented.

"What is your full title?" Pacem asked curiously.

"Doctor Rodney McKay, PhD."

"That's not it," Sheppard commented.

"I think I know my own name," McKay snapped.

"Actually, it's Doctor Meredith Rodney McKay, PhD," John said with a smirk.

Atheon seemed oblivious to the verbal sparring, as his face was lit with excited interest. "What does 'pee-aych-dee' mean?"

"Philosophiae Doctor," McKay explained, "basically, it means I've passed an advanced degree, or study course, in a specific field; in my case, astrophysics. Not that that was the only course I completed."

"Fascinating," Atheon said with wide, child-like eyes.

"How far up the chain of command is a Consulate?" Teyla wondered aloud.

Pacem paused, clearly trying to put his thoughts in order. "A Consulate is the second-highest rank within the Ambassadorial Corps, excluding the rank of Ambassador, which is only achieved once voted onto the council. However, the Ambassadorial Corps is small, and as such it only has four ranks outside of council members. As a Consulate, I outrank anyone in the Academic or Medical Corps, but anyone higher than Councillor within the Diplomatic Corps outranks me, as does anyone over the rank of Soldier in the Defence Corps."

"Would it be possible for me to access reading materials on your system of government?" Teyla asked. "It sounds complex, and seems to have many merits."

"Of course," the Consulate said with a smile, "I can point you in the right direction anytime you want to search the Archives."

"I'm curious," Rodney began, swallowing noisily, "how do you store all your data? And where is the Ancients data? Did they leave behind a collective database? Or when you say texts, do you mean actual books?"

"The Archives are a network of terminals that share a collective of electronic knowledge, built by the Ancestors. We have added to it over the millennia, as we were instructed to. It is a simple matter of inputing a query and receiving an answer."

"So you can access the information you need to easily?" McKay asked with a hint of jealousy.

Pacem shrugged as though it were nothing. "Most of the time. It's easiest to read Protegan input, as we structured it to be user-friendly so that anyone may learn whatever they wish. However, the Ancestral knowledge is more of a labyrinth than a library, but the City Interface AI can usually find whatever you need."

Rodney's expression turned contemplative. "There's supposed to be an AI?"

"It would seem your theory is correct, Rodney," Radeck commented.

"No wonder the database on Atlantis is so impossible to navigate."

"I wonder if it is similar to teacher lady in the hologram room?"

"Consulate?" McKay probed, "is the interface AI a condescending hologram of an Ancient?"

Pacem shook his head. "The construct is entirely unique. Well, not in that it was the only one, rather, it is not a recording designed to respond to questions in order to educate the young. We do have one of these holograms that you speak of, but the Interface is an entity created from scratch, one that chose its voice and appearance. According to our history, it used to help run the city as well as manage the database, until the Ancestral technologies began to stop working."

"Huh." Rodney slumped, staring at his now empty plate.

"Is interesting," Zelenka muttered. "We always wondered why the Ancients never seemed to use Artificial Intelligence, especially once we knew they could create such things to be the programming of Replicators."

"Hmmm, Atlantis is semi-sentient, too, especially for fly-boy."

"Perhaps then, Atlantis was meant to be run in part by AI, but was damaged and now only operates at lessened capacity."

"If I may offer an insight," Pacem interrupted the physicists, who gestured for him to continue. "The Ancestors had AI for their larger cities, certain ships, and high-level experiments. However, the capture of any such program by the Wraith was deemed unacceptable. It is likely the Atlantis AI was removed from the city's systems and destroyed prior to the evacuation, especially as a construct left to its own for too long with nothing to do can become unstable and dangerous."

Rodney shook his head. "There is definitely _something_ still in Atlantis' systems. What do you think, Sheppard?"

John hesitated, uncomfortable in the sudden spotlight Rodney's question seemed to have turned on. "I don't know. I guess she's always had an edge to her... presence. I'm not sure how best to explain it."

"Carson would've known, sort of, what you're talking about." Rodney muttered, then seemed to realise what he'd said, as a heavy silence fell.

"Who is Carson?" Pacem asked, oblivious to the weighted sadness.

McKay cast his head down, so John figured he had to do the explaining. "There's something we call the ATA gene in Earth human DNA, at least in some of our DNA. It's what allows us access to technology the Ancients restricted. Some people have it stronger than others, and can connect to the tech on a deeper level. Doctor Carson Beckett was one of them."

"Yes, we used to have a small percentage of our population that carried the genesong, but it died out over four thousand years ago," Atheon said. "Since then, parts of the city have fallen into disrepair."

Shepppard simply nodded, and the Consulate finally seemed to clue into the grey mood that had fallen at the mention of the physician.

"This Doctor Beckett, he is no longer with you?" Atheon asked in a soft tone.

John could only shake his head, remembering that disastrous mandatory rest day.

"My condolences," Pacem said kindly, making a strange gesture, his hand ending up resting over his heart.

Mentally shaking himself, the Colonel threw on a smile. "So, will we be meeting this Interface AI during the week?"

"Most certainly," Pacem said. "As you will be reading from the Ancestral Knowledge, you will undoubtedly require its aid in finding the correct data in a timely manner."

"And how long is a week on Protegat?"

"Nine days."

"We're going to need to do some laundry."

* * *

The next morning they rose early, only to find the facility just as active as it had been the day previously. As they headed to the mess for breakfast, they were passed by squads of sweaty soldiers running tour through the wide corridors. Small groups of diplomats and ambassadors went about their business.

"For an apparently peaceful world, they seem to train relentlessly," Teyla commented.

"Constant vigilance," Ronon replied. "For all they know, the Wraith could turn up any day." He sounded like he approved. It was easy to forget Ronon was from a militant society, too.

Consulate Pacem found them at the same tables they had eaten at the previous night, and led them to a 'terminal room', a tiered, theatre-like room that reminded John of a lecture hall, but instead of a white board or podium on the stage, there was what looked like any number of Ancient terminals they had discovered in Atlantis. Looking up, Sheppard spotted tiny holo-projectors embedded in the ceiling.

As they entered the room, the lights came on automatically, and the ancient console came to life. John thought nothing of this until he noticed Pacem's awestruck and slightly envious expression.

Rodney made a beeline for the terminal, booting up his tablet as he went, Zelenka right behind him, while Lorne and his team spread out casually, their eyes taking in their surroundings critically as they lounged in the tiered seat benches. Ronon pulled a face at the terminal before joining them.

Atheon was intrigued by the Earth tech, watching McKay plug into the terminal with an expression of delight, before explaining the need to slot in their ID cards to be allowed access. He then showed them how to call up the Interface AI, which went by the name 'Atidum', and projected itself as a keen-eyed, bird-like creature, almost like an eagle or hawk, but with two crests and two sets of wings; a quadwing phoenix.

It was made evident quite quickly that there was nothing Sheppard was required to do, so he sat on the lowest bench, close to the scientists, but far enough away that he could tune out their inevitable bickering. Teyla sat near him, holding something that looked like a cross between a tablet and laptop. Atheon had given it to her on their way to the room, demonstrating how it could be used to wirelessly access the Database, after having her plug her ID card in. She was currently engrossed in reading all about their Service Corps, so John kept his eyes on Radeck and Rodney as they fought like children over a new toy.

Pacem was in and out throughout the day, as he was kept busy by his usual duties, so for the majority of the time they were unsupervised, though John didn't doubt there were electronic monitoring devices in the room, and someone, somewhere, was probably keeping a very close eye on the Lanteans.

When they paused for lunch, Rodney spent the entire time gushing over the weapons system like he was a fifth-grader with a crush. Radeck was just as animated, singing the Ancients' praises in Czech, accompanied with broad hand gestures.

McKay finished lunch in record time, then began hustling everyone to get back to the terminal room. Sheppard had had to remind him they had a full week ahead of them to study the damn things. The physicist had not been impressed, but quietened down once Ronon started glaring at him.

They continued their research, or rather, McKay and Zelenka continued acting like children locked in a toy store while everyone else watched over them, for the whole afternoon, until they finally managed to drag the scientists away for dinner, then insisted they head back to their rooms. Before they did, they stopped by the hangar, using the jumper's long-range comms to fill in Colonel Caldwell on their findings. Finally, they made it to their rooms. There, the two physicists poured over the data they had collected, staying up well past the point when everyone else went to bed.

This quickly became the routine, with Rodney and Radeck completely head-over-heels for the Interface AI, and Sheppard and Lorne's teams far too worried to leave them alone while they were so absorbed in their research, meaning they didn't get to do much else besides sit around the Terminal room. After the first night, Sheppard kicked Rodney out of AR-1's room, sticking him and Radeck together in the third room, where everyone else took it in turns to try and sleep in the room while the two scientists continued to work into the night. The problem was that Protegat's day-night cycle lasted thirty hours, so the scientists didn't seem to notice how late it was, having already caught their second wind during the afternoon. The rest of them managed to stay on top of it by dozing during the long days, lounging in the seats of the Terminal room.

John zoned out for most of the technical stuff, as it got pretty in-depth the majority of the time, but he and Lorne both paid attention when Atidum started listing off the details of operating the weapons.

According to the AI, they could be set to an automatic firing mode, but unless Atidum handled the targeting they would be at risk of shooting down their own forces. This operating mode could be accessed without the ATA gene, but manual required a gunner with the gene. From the projections the AI showed them, the controls for the weapons were similar to the Puddlejumper's, so both Sheppard and Lorne were confident they'd get the hang of them pretty quickly.

The actual specs of the weapons came up on day two, and they learned that they were somewhere in between the satellite they had found in the first year, and Project Arcturus. The cannons had a five-second charge period before firing, but a single shot was reported to be capable of annihilating a wraith cruiser. John figured that with the full ten cannons armed, a wraith hive would quickly succumb to the combined fire. He didn't like to think what they would do to a jumper, knowing that had nearly been a reality when they first arrived.

The week passed slowly, seeming to drag on forever, though Sheppard supposed that could simply be that it _was_ two days longer than their Earth weeks, and the days themselves were thirty hours long. Thankfully, they had been given access to the nearest laundry room, so they had clean clothes, despite McKay's earlier concerns.

As they came to the last few days of their stay, Sheppard finally felt confident enough that nothing drastic was going to happen if they split up for a while, so, with the Consulate's permission, he, Lorne, and Ronon headed out, spending time throughout the complex, observing the comings and goings. Then, after getting a good feel of the place, Teyla joined them as they started leaving the complex behind altogether, quickly learning how to navigate a city that was, after all, built similarly to Atlantis, although it _had _been expanded upon by its human inhabitants.

Travel throughout the base of the city was achieved by Ancient transporters, acting as both teleporters and elevators. To connect the rest of the city, and transport larger numbers of people and cargo, the Protegans had built an electro-magnectic powered train system. This public transport was managed by Atidum, and ran with near flawless efficiency. As there was no private transport for civilians inside the city, the trains were in constant use, and there were always crowds of people wandering the connecting walkways. Sheppard's overall impression was a city of diverse yet unified people.

To get out of the city, there were four gates built into the city's ring wall. The Protegans called these gates Drawbridges, though no actual bridges were involved. On the inner side of each Drawbridge was a watchtower that stood at thirty stories tall. These Drawbridges facilitated ground travel in and out of the city, used by both the Service Corps and civilians that lived outside the city limits.

Of course, while it was easy to make their way around the Ancient parts of the city, they did get lost once in the human-built industrial sector, where a lot of the Protegan's power needs were met by entire blocks of oblong wind turbines. However, it was a simple matter to locate an access terminal, where the Interface AI promptly guided them back to the Protectorate Facility.

Through their forays, they were able to get a firmer grasp on Protegan society, and were hoping to be able to provide Colonel Carter with the best vantage point when it came time to decide just what sort of alliance Atlantis should form with Protegat.

And so, it was time to leave. The entire council turned out to see them off, as the Colonel made promises to return in four days with the people who had the authority and knowledge to formulate a true alliance, passing on a message from Atlantis via subsapce burst that Colonel Carter was eager to meet them. Justicer Xerath expressed her gratitude for the sentiment, stating the feeling was mutual. Then they were off, Sheppard piloting the jumper out of the hangar and heading straight for the atmosphere. They had a military escort made up of two of the jet/chopper hybrids John was still itching to fly, which flanked them until they reached 14,000 feet.

They hailed Caldwell on their way to the _Daedalus_, and nosed back into the starboard hangar bay without incident. Once they were safely aboard, the ship pulled away from the planet and launched into hyperspace, headed back to Atlantis.


	4. Alliance

"And so our best options for trade with these Protegans would be...?" Colonel Carter left the statement open to the briefing room, as her eyes roamed over the assembled Lanteans. Sheppard, McKay, Teyla, Ronon, Lorne, Zelenka, and Caldwell, all freshly rested and showered. The _Daedalus_ had arrived back at Atlantis at 0300, and debriefing had been first up on the agenda in the morning.

"The ATA therapy and help repairing the broken Ancient systems in their city," Rodney answered over a plate of bacon and hash browns.

"And in return for this we would be receiving unrestricted access to the weapons platforms?" Carter clarified.

Rondey pulled a face. "Hm. I hardly think 'unrestricted' is the right word. While we were there we were given what they called temporary ID cards, but they were more like keycards. None of their devices work without one plugged in, and seeing as they carry the electronic equivalent of an authentication code, the computers were able to prevent us from any information we didn't have clearance for."

"Despite this, they were a very open society," Teyla said. "They had no reservations against me learning about their government, nor our inquiries about the way they run the city." She paused, then added, "The Consulate, Atheon, almost seemed eager to share their knowledge. The Protegans pride themselves on their academic achievements more than their military might."

Sam considered this. "But they're led by a soldier, a Justicer?"

"Technically, they're led by two soldiers, two civilians, and someone who is neither," Sheppard said. "The Justicer only assumes absolute rule in times of crisis. That said, the council seemed to take their cues from her, though they might have been deferring to her expertise."

"Expertise?"

John shrugged. "Apparently she holds eight Veritads, their equivalent of a university degree. Had the look of a combat veteran about her, too."

"The Justicer had a very commanding presence," Teyla agreed.

Colonel Carter looked from Sheppard to Caldwell. "So the bottom line is, you all think Protegat would be an ideal location to resettle refugees?"

"Absolutely," Sheppard confirmed. In the time it took to travel back to Atlantis, they had spent a fair few hours going at this from every side, and they had all agreed- Protegat could be the best answer to the very pressing problem of so many whose homes had been destroyed. "They have the pre-existing infrastructure to support a large population, and the capability to safeguard that population."

"But bringing so many different cultures together and expecting them to coexist-"

"Aren't we already doing that? At least, in smaller numbers?"

"Okay, I see your point."

"Look," Sheppard said, "hopefully it's not permanent, hopefully, we'll kick the Replicators' ass soon, but in the meantime, until we come up with an effective means to fight them..."

Carter nodded. "At least we can talk to the leaders of each people, see what they think about this. We won't make resettlement on Protegat mandatory."

"I promised Justicer Xerath we'd be back in four days," Sheppard stated. "That gives us today to talk to the leaders, and one and a half days aboard the _Daedalus_ to decide just what the treaty will be."

* * *

"Welcome back to Protegat, Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard," Consulate Pacem greeted as Sheppard, McKay, Teyla, Ronon, Carter, and Keller exited the jumper. "And Colonel Carter, Doctor Keller, welcome to High Command."

The building they had been directed to by Sky Fleet Command was the tallest, most grand spire-like tower out of the city, far taller and wider than the central spire of Atlantis. Sitting right in the city's centre, High Command overlooked the sprawl of low buildings that made up the Protectorate Facility, the organised mess of airstrips and control towers of the Sky Fleet's base, and the outer ring of Ancient Weapons, standing like watchful guardians, silhouetted against the dusky, gold-streaked-purple sky.

It was late morning on Protegat, and the Lantean's two jumpers had received a military escort on their way in. As Lorne and his team exited the second jumper, Pacem greeted the Major, too. Sheppard noted Atheon had nailed down the pronunciation of their ranks in the time they had been gone.

"Good to see you again, Consulate," Sheppard said pleasantly, glad the introductions had already been carried out over radio once the _Daedalus_ had dropped out of hyperspace.

"The Justicer is most eager to meet with you, Colonel Carter," Pacem said as he turned, leading the Lanteans out of the small hangar, and the massive doors closed up behind them. "Unfortunately, we have been kept busy since Colonel Sheppard and Major Lorne's departure, so the Council could not be here to greet you in person."

"Believe me, I completely understand," Colonel Carter said.

The interior of High Command was a near carbon-copy of Atlantis, and Sheppard figured the tower must be part of the original city built by the Ancients. They used a transporter to head up to the control room, and, in the same room they used on Atlantis as their conference room, Pacem asked them to sit at an octagonal table, so much like the one they had first met the Council at. As they took their seats, Atheon spoke into a comm device on the collar of his uniform, announcing their arrival.

McKay and Atheon almost immediately engaged in a discussion about the Ancient's use of AI, which John quickly tuned out, preferring to listen to, and occasionally weigh in on, Teyla and Carter's last-minute review of which cultures had been open to relocation.

A little over half an hour later, a Protegan soldier in full tac gear entered the room. "Officer in attendance!" he snapped. The Consulate leapt to his feet, cutting off mid-sentence to stand at attention, his left fist closed over the right side of his chest. It was then that Justicer Xerath swept into the room, the rest of the Council at her heels.

"Be at ease," Xerath said dismissively. Consulate Pacem sat back down.

"Colonel Samantha Carter of the Atlantis Expedition, it is an honour to meet you." Xerath had also managed to perfect the pronunciation of the rank.

Carter stood to accept the Justicer's brief but firm hand shake. "The honour is mine, Magister Protector Justicer Dianna Xerath," Sam said. John was impressed she'd committed that to memory, and pronounced all three ranks correctly. "My team spoke very highly of you and your colleagues."

"I apologise for our tardiness. I'm afraid your visit has stirred up some old rivalries among our people." Xerath and the rest of the Council took seats across from the Lanteans.

"We're sorry to hear that," Carter said. "It was certainly not our intention."

"It is nothing more than a small group of extremists," Lord Farade said in a reconciliatory tone. "We are working to repair the rift with expediency."

"In any case, you have come to discuss other matters of importance," the Justicer stated.

"Yes," Colonel Carter agreed. "As I understand, you and your Council have expressed interest in an alliance between our two peoples..."

The negotiations were carried out over one and a half Protegan weeks, as the Council were forced to split their time between the Lanteans, and their own dissidents. Colonel Carter and Teyla handled the majority of the diplomatic stuff, as Rodney kept running off with Atheon, the two flinging technical jargon at each other so fast Sheppard only registered their conversations as an annoying buzzing sound. He, Lorne, and Ronon took it in turns to baby sit the physicist, as the more vocal opposition threatened to spiral into a full-blown insurrection.

It was, as Lord Farade said, a small group of individuals who were against relations with the Lanteans, as they feared the presence of the Lanteans would reveal Protegat to the Wraith, but their actions were beginning to border terrorism. Despite this, there had been multiple peaceful marches preaching cooperation with the current Council's direction, and a city-wide vote had revealed the clear majority of Protegan citizens favoured the treaty, and supported the Council's actions.

When, as part of the negotiations to settle refugees, Colonel Carter had discussed the possibility of bringing a Stargate to Protegat, the Council had questioned both Sam and John for many hours, weighing the possible threats and benefits of such an action. They had then given the public as much information as possible regarding the pros and cons, then held another vote. It was then that the extremists had launched their first attempted assault on High Command, but were easily stopped by security.

Still, Sheppard was strongly against any of his people wandering around unaccompanied, so they split up as much as they could while ensuring their two civilians had sufficient protection. This meant a lot of mind-numbingly boring hours spent either watching Rodney mess around in the city's Ancient systems, or listening to Jennifer compare notes with the Protegan Medical Corps' doctors.

It was all worth it though when the Justicer, in a rare moment of down time, had offered to teach Sheppard and Lorne how to pilot the Protegan's military birds. The avems had been a challenge, to say the least, though John's experience with both jets and choppers helped a bit. He and Lorne had both agreed- managing rotor speed and jet thrust at the same time had definitely been the hardest part, but all in all, the avems had been seriously cool.

As week two progressed, the treaty was finalised, and it was decided that Protegat _would_ host a large number of refugees, both within and outside of the city, with a no-assimilation clause to protect the cultural rights of those fleeing the Wraith and Replicators. In addition to this, they had accepted the proposition for bringing a Stargate to Protegat, creating a new department to handle the guarding and managing of the gate, and had already begun repurposing a commercial tower close to the Protectorate Facility to house Stargate Control.

In return for this, as well as access to Orbital Defence to study the Ancient weapons, Atlantis had offered the ATA gene therapy, which would allow the Protegans to regain full control of their city and restore it to its full potential, and help repairing the damaged equipment, plus training in the maintenance of this Ancient tech. Combined with this was a joint defence clause, meaning that, if Protegat came under threat, Atlantis would do everything in its power to help protect the city and its people. Justicer Xerath also swore the military might of Protegat should Atlantis require their aid.

It was a short order of harvesting a gate from an uninhabited world to moving the refugees who had elected to go, and settling them with housing and jobs to generate income. As many of the refugees came from simple farming communities, most were happy to take up agricultural positions, supplementing the pre-existing workforce and ensuring the increased demand for food did not overtax Protegan resources.

The insurrection settled, after a final stunt in which their leader, a mid-level officer within the Military Corps, Quaere Commander Karasan, had broadcast across the city's siren system, lamenting the fall of the Ancestor's Shield World. It seemed they had conceded the battle, admitting defeat while despairing of the safety of their city. The Council were unconcerned, given the heightened level of defence the treaty had allowed for Protegat.

Keller quickly had the Protegan Medical Corps making and disseminating the ATA therapy, which was used selectively, with a focus on engineers, doctors, and the new gunners for the Ancient Weapons, manual firing having previously been barred from them for four thousand years. These engineers worked with the scientists from Atlantis to restore all the systems that required the gene, bringing deep-space sensors back online, as well as a myriad of other secondary systems.

The Stargate had been fitted with an 'iris' and the Protegans and refugees provided with an IDC system to allow better security for the planet. Stargate Control then began allowing trade and social trips through the gate, so the refugees could remain in contact with their friends, family, and trading partners throughout the galaxy, in respect to many of their cultural roots.

War games were scheduled between the two militaries, sharing tactics and tendencies. It had been the Justicer's idea, but Sheppard had easily seen the logic of it. Together, they worked hard to see to it that their soldiers could coordinate, trying to figure out where their command languages differentiated so they could be an effective fighting force, should the Joint Defence clause ever need to be enacted.

Within the space of a month, Protegat held upwards of fifty thousand refugees, and Sheppard and his team were back out in the galaxy, searching for the Athosians.

Everything went better than expected.


End file.
